"There's a line item in the budget for gas for the sheriff's office," Zoellner said. "When we do the budget, we have to come up with a guesstimate of what it's going to cost -- that's real hard to do because you never know what the price of fuel is going to be."

If it looks as if fuel costs will be higher than what was budgeted, Zoellner said, he would sit down with the county commissioners and try to come up with a solution.

Options might mean the department would cut back on patrol or double up on officers, Zoellner said.

And, it means following the usual gas-saving measures, such as servicing the vehicles every 3,000 miles and following the office's maintenance program for fuel efficiency.

Scott Bolden, a Tonganoxie mechanic, said it's important to keep cars tuned up, to keep tires inflated to the correct amount to be more fuel efficient.

"And driving habits have a lot to do with it too," Bolden said. "No jackrabbit starts, ... accelerate smooth and slow and it does help."

For Tonganoxie firefighters, the number of calls they'll run is unpredictable. And if they're called out on a raging fire, their gasoline costs soar.